Trap-lock



(No Model.)

J. P. W O'LLENSAK.

. TRAP LOOK. v No. 369,901. Patented Sept. 13, 1887.

IINTTT STATEs PATENT Trice.

JOHN F. WVOLLENSAK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TRAP-LOO K.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 369,901, datedSeptember 13,. 1887.

Application filed June 28, 1887. Serial No. 242,793. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN F. WOLLENSAK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in TrapLoc-ks, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is, in general terms, to make a trap-lockthat will trap the main key early and twice while the lock is beingopened, and which will be difficult to pick; and my invention consistsin the features and details of construction hereinafter described andclaimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved lock with thecap or face-plate by which the parts are inclosed removed. Fig. 2 is thesame with all the tumblers, except the early-trapping tumbler, removed.Fig. 3 is the same with the main key inserted and the bolt drawn back;and Fig. 4.. is the same with the bolt thrown partially forward, themain key trapped, and the racking-stump caught.

In the drawings, Ais the lock-case; B, the bolt; 0, the spring forholding the bolt out; D, the spring for holding the tumblers down,except when lifted by the key; E, one of the or dinary tumblers; F, theearly-trapping tumbler; G, the hook on the same H, the rackingstump onthe bolt-slide; I, the bolt-slide; J, the trap-notch in the ordinarytumbler; K, the trap-notch in the early-trapping tumbler; L, the mainkey; M, the releasekey; N, a cam operated by a thumb-knobon the insideof the lock for pushing the bolt back, and O the racking-stud.

In the use of ordinary trap locks experience has shown two defects,which I will explain and which itis my endeavor to correct in thisinvention. WVhere the door does not fit close to the jamb, as is oftenthe case, owing to the shrinkage of the wood, it is possible to open thedoor without forcing the bolt entirely back. Often by inserting the keyand turning back gently, the bolt may be drawn far enough back to enablethe door to be opened without being drawn far enough back to trapthekey. In such a case a door may be opened and the party remove his keythe same as if the lock were an untrapable one. It becomes important,therefore, to effect the trapping of the key at as early a period aspossible. The other defect consists in the fact that after the door hasbeen opened and the key trapped it is possible to pick the lock andremove the key by inserting a bent wire through the hole provided forthe release-key. It is therefore important to make some provision forpreventing this.

In making my improved look I provide the usual number of ordinarytrapping-tumblers, each provided with a notch, J, as shown in Fig. 1.The main key is provided with a series of wards adapted to engage witheach of the ordinary tumblers and lift them up, so as to bring theirracking-studs O in the line of the racking-stump H. Just when theracking-studs 0 have been lifted far enough the key engages with thebolt-slide I, on which the racking-stump I-Iis mounted, and carries itback,together with thebolt, until the rackingstump has passed theracking-studs. When the bolt has been drawn back to this point, thewards of the key enter the notches J in the tumblers E, so that they nolonger exert an upward pressure, and the tumblers consequently drop backwith their rackingstuds in front of the racking-stump, which preventsthe bolt from being forced out again by the spring C. At the same timethe Wards of the key are caught in the notches J, so that it cannot beremoved. A releasekey, M, must therefore be inserted from the inside toraise the tumblers and release the main key. Thus far I have describedgenerally the parts of an' ordinary trap-lock. In addition to theseordinary tumblers I make one or more special tumblers. (Shown in Figs.

2, 3, and 4 as F.) The special tumbler is not provided with the ordinaryracking-stud, but has a hook, G, at its forward end. This hook passesdown and bends back somewhat, so that its point may rest upon theracking stump when the bolt is out, as shown in Fig. 2. It is alsoprovided with a trap -notch, K, much closer to its forward end than theordinary trap-notch, J, as will be seen by an inspection of the notchesJ and K in Figs. 1 and 2. The notch K in the special tumbler F must befar enough forward to enable the ward to pass into it as soon as oralmost as soon as the bolt commences to be drawn back. As will benoticed by looking at Fig. 2, the key can be turned back but a veryslight distance until the hook G drops down in front of theracking-stump, so that the key will be trapped. The bolt has not,however, been as yet moved far enough back to enable the door to beopened, even though quite a space should exist between the edge of thedoor and the jamb. To draw the bolt back sufficiently to open the door,the key must be turned still farther and the racking-stump drawn backbeyond the racking-studs 0, when they will fall and trap the key asecond time. In this way a double trapping is secured-once almost assoon as the bolt starts back and, secondly, when it has passed back farenough to pass the racking-studs on the ordinary tumblers.

In order to remove the main key, a releasekey must be employed or thelock must be picked. If a piece of bent wire or other instrument shouldbe inserted and the ordinary tumblers raised so as to get theirracking-studs out of the path of the racking-stum p, the spring 0 wouldforce the bolt forward until it encountered the hook G on the specialtumbler F, as shown in Fig. 4. This would bring the wards of the keyinto the notchKof the special tumbler, and this tumbler would have to belifted before the key could be turned farther forward and released; butthe hook G is provided with a slight backward turn, which would preventthis tumbler being raised. If in this dilemma the party should turn hiskey in the other direction, he would simply trap it again in theordinary tumblers, and when he had succeeded in raising these tumblersthe spring 0 would carry the bolt forward and the racking-stump with itinto contact with the hook G again. This operation could be continuedindefinitely without'being able to remove the main key; nor would thesituation be improved by raising with the bent wire the special tumblerfirst, because there would be nothing to hold such special tumbler up,and

the moment the bent wire was used to raise the ordinary tumblers so thatthe bolt could advance the special tumbler would fall into positionagain to catch the racking-stump in the hook G. In this way picking thelock shut, so to speak, after it had been opened by the main key wouldbe practically impossible.

It will be seen that the gist of my invention consists in the employmentof one or more tumblers trapable at one point and one or more tumblerstrapable at another point as the main key draws the boltback, so thatthe key will be early and twice trapped, and the employment of a hook onone of the tumblers whose inner surface, against which the racking-stumpcontacts, is in advance of the inner surfaces of the racking studs onthe other tumblers. Under these circumstances I do not care to limitmyself to all the specific details of construction described and shown,as my invention consists more in the employment of tumblers embodyingthe ideas above specified than in the shape and form of the parts bywhich these ideas are effectuated.

What I regard as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a lock, a tumbler provided with a trappingnotch, K, and a tumblerprovided with a trapping-notch, J, into which notches the wards of themain key successively pass and are trapped at different points in movingthe bolt back, substantially as described.

2. In a lock, the combination of a tumbler provided with a racking-stud,a tumbler provided with a hook the inner surface of which is in advanceof the inner surface of the racking-stud, and a bolt slide provided witha racking-stump, substantially as described.

. JOHN F. WOLLENSAK.

Witnesses:

W. E. GILL, GEORGE O. COOK.

